The Boeing Dreamliner's battery
troubles last year highlighted the potential dangers of lithium-ion
technology, but a safer alternative is emerging.

Credit:Martin_Petit/iStock/Thinkstock

As
news reports of lithium-ion battery (LIB) fires in Boeing Dreamliner planes and
Tesla electric cars remind us, these batteries - which are in everyday portable
devices, like tablets and smartphones - have their downsides. Now, scientists
have designed a safer kind of lithium battery component that is far less likely
to catch fire and still promises effective performance. They report their
approach in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Lynden Archer, Geoffrey Coates and colleagues at
Cornell University explain that the danger of LIBs originates with their
electrolytes, the substance that allows ions to flow between the electrodes of
the battery. The electrolyte usually contains a flammable liquid. To minimize
this fire hazard, some researchers are developing more stable, solid
electrolytes. But although solid electrolytes are less likely to fuel a fire,
their ability to transport ions has fallen short, especially at room
temperature. Coates's team set out to tackle both issues and come up with a
safer, high-performance battery component, while Archer's team studied the
electrochemical characteristics of the materials.

The
team's efforts have led to a new family of solid polymer electrolytes that is
both good at conducting lithium ions at room temperature and minimizing the
risk of fire. Not only are these materials safer than their liquid counterparts
in LIBs, but they could also be used in high-energy lithium-metal batteries,
such as promising lithium-sulfur and lithium-air batteries.